An impression was created that after the formation of coalition government between the PPP and the MQM in Sindh that the law and order situation in the province would improve and the cases involving target killings would also reduce. But somehow with the passage of time this impression is wearing away. The law order situation has gradually worsened. There is an increase in the rate of street crimes coupled with incidents involving target killing of workers of political parties. On average 7-10 political workers per week lose their lives in incidents involving target killing. The workers who have fallen a victim of such incidents belong to various political parties including Sunni Tehreek, Pakistan People’s Party, Mohajir Quami Movement and Awami National Party.
On the other hand, an ethnic political party that is part of the coalition government has started a drive of spreading arms, getting licenses issued, as well as arms training on the pretext of so-called Talibanisation in the city.
On the other hand Pakistan People’s Party has rejected its own ally’s claims regarding Talibanisation in the city. Whereas various political parties including Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party have termed the claims of Talibanisation in the city as anti-Pakhtun act.
According to a survey conducted by Weekly Pulse it was observed that there had been efforts to get Quetta Hotels (being run by Pakhtuns) closed and on the other hand hotels are being opened by the name of Karachi Hotel in front of the Quetta Hotels in the city.
The Muttahida Quami Movement is trumpeting and wrongly accusing the poor displaced people from Bajaur Agency as Taliban who have arrived in Karachi in search of shelter. Sources told Pulse that the propaganda regarding Talibanisation in the city was being made by the MQM to gain back its lost popularity among the Urdu-speaking people. The People’s Party is also not pleased over the continuous propaganda by its coalition partner regarding Talibanisation and Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qayem Ali Shah, provincial interior minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and provincial information minister Shazia Marri have rejected this on a number of occasions.
Muttahida Quami Movement’s chief Altaf Hussain on a number of occasions through his telephonic addresses have directed his party workers to et themselves arms licenses and acquire arms training.
Some days ago, in a telephonic address in North Nazimabad, the MQM chief Altaf Hussain said that they were not against any ethnic group but no one would be allowed to occupy our streets. He said that it was imperative for the security of their areas that a local policing system was introduced.
Announcing establishment of micro-finance bank, the MQM chief said that small loans would be given to the unemployed workers for starting up small businesses, buying rickshaws etc. In his address Altaf Hussain said that the workers should work open up hotels, drive rickshaws, work as night watchmen and don’t feel shy in working.
The MQM chief stressing the important of work said that a lot of big business tycoons started from scratch and small businesses. Altaf Hussain further said that unfortunately at the moment Karachi was besieged from all four directions by armed Taliban who were equipped with rocket launchers, Kalashnikov rifles and other automatic weapons. The MQM chief said more than 1,500 madressahs had been set up around Karachi. He also said that in many parts of the city the Taliban had set up their own system by force and now they want to occupy the whole city. Altaf Hussain said that the Taliban want to abolish girls schools and colleges and they were the ones who wanted acid attacks on women.
The MQM chief said that the workers should get licenses and think about the security of their homes. He further said that the youth should join gyms and learn judo karate. The MQM chief stressed that shopping’s should be done from such outlets that do not later use the money earned later against them. All this was indirectly asking the people not to buy goods from shops that are owned by Pakhtun shopkeepers.
Chief of Awami National Party and chairman foreign relations standing committee Asfandyar Wali Khan when contacted said that the people have arrived in Karachi to protect their lives and not to take anyone’s life and it was wrong to call them Taliban.
The ANP chief further said that some people want to spoil the peace in the city by talking about Taliban adding that this could damage the whole country. He said that the ANP had exchanged its views with the government of Sindh and the federal government and had informed them about the facts. The ANP chief expressed his hope that all matters would be resolved amicably.
Responding to a question, Asfandyar Wali said that the Awami National Party was observing the conspiracy against Pakhtuns in Karachi and that his party workers would never let anyone harm Pakhtuns on the pretext of Talibanisation.
The ANP leader said the propaganda regarding Taliban in Karachi was totally baseless. He said that if the Pakhtuns that were coming to Karachi had been Taliban they would have been fighting in the tribal areas instead of coming to Karachi to earn their livelihood.
When ANP leader in Sindh Amin Khattak was contacted said that the Awami National Party has never been involved in hate politics and that they cannot reply hatred with hatred. The ANP leader said that talks were being held with the government regarding whatever was happening against Pakhtuns. Amin Khattak said that if there were some elements who want to press Pakhtuns in the garb of Talibanisation then it wont happen. He said that those who claim themselves as secular were themselves negating their ideology by arms training.
Amin Khattak further said that they were having talked both with the provincial as well as the federal governments and the response had been encouraging. The ANP leader said that their party was itself against Talibanisation but there was nothing as Talibanisation in Karachi. The ANP leader termed it a conspiracy against Pakhtuns.
Punjabi Pakhtun Ittehad (PPI) leader Malik Ayub Awan when contacted told Weekly Pulse that some elements who want to gain a monopoly in the city are worried that they will grow weak with the arrival of victims of the Bajaur operation adding that that was the reason that MQM had planned a conspiracy to spoil peace in the city in the name of Talibanisation.
He said that after the incident of December 27, the Muttahida Quami Movement realized that there position on the key areas like Sohrab Goth, River Road and National Highway was weak and that was the reason that they had opened up this front.
Malik Ayub Awan said that the MQM wanted initiation of an operation in areas dominated by Pakhtuns on a pattern similar to what had happened in Sohrab Goth. He said that the people who had arrived here from Bajaur also want to return, but it was only possible when the government helps improve the situation in the restive tribal areas. 
When contacted central leader of Sunni Tehreek Shahid Ghouri said that we had been targeted for the past six years but like the previous government no body is listening to us. He said that workers of Sunni Tehreek were target killed on the very next day after the MQM chief’s statement. Shahid Ghouri criticized the killing of former member of Sunni Tehreek’s coordination committee Afzal Qadri and joint in charge Gulberg sector Moinuddin Nizam Qadri.
Local leader of Awami National Party Khalid Khan told Weekly Pulse that the MQM was collecting funds from Urdu speaking people by showing Pakhtuns as Taliban. He further said that the MQM under a planned conspiracy was arming its workers. The ANP leader said that the party would form a report and would submit it to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.